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Everton's relationship with Barcelona is becoming a rather gripping one.

Up until fairly recently, the most famous dealing between the two clubs would no doubt have been that of Gary Lineker's departure from the Blues in 1986, after just one brilliant term at Goodison Park.

But now links between Everton and the Catalan giants are seemingly becoming more commonplace as the seasons go by.

And there could yet be more fruit in the future if certain reports are to be believed.

Jean-Clair Todibo is the latest player to be linked with switching Spain for the blue half of Merseyside as Marcel Brands and Carlo Ancelotti will be on the hunt for a centre-back when the transfer window opens.

The 20-year-old has spent the second half of this term on loan with Bundesliga side Schalke, playing alongside Everton's Jonjoe Kenny at the German club, where he made seven appearances in all competitions before football was brought to a halt.

Excitement was high when the winger completed a permanent move to Goodison in 2015 but, despite the hype, things never really got off the ground as much as they could have done.

Barcelona activated their buy-back clause on the forward in 2017 after his spell on loan with AC Milan - but it wasn't long before the two sides were involved in more business.

The summer of 2018 saw Everton perform a triple-raid on the Catalan giants - which has proven hugely successful.

Firstly, Lucas Digne was brought to Meresyside to be the man to step into Leighton Baines' shoes on a consistent basis.

No easy task by any stretch of the imagination, but he has done it expertly.

Having regularly found himself behind Jordi Alba in Barcelona's pecking order, the France international wasted no time in showing off his talents on Merseyside and has become one of the key members of the squad.

Then, of course, we come to Yerry Mina - who has had to work a little harder for the position he finds himself in.

Injury blighted his debut season in the Premier League but, with Everton having just three senior options in central defence this term, the 25-year-old has stood up to the task and proven himself a leader in the defence.

The centre-back has been one of the club's most consistent performers in the back four alongside his former Barcelona teammate in Digne this term.

He was joined in signing on deadline day in 2018 by Andre Gomes, who arrived initially on loan.

After a series of impressive performances in Everton's midfield last term, his permanent transfer came with huge excitement in 2019 - although his season has unfortunately been defined by a serious injury suffered in November.

His amazing comeback has been brilliant for supporters to see however, and his influence on the side was clear when he did return in February.

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There's little doubt that the current Everton side does have a distinct feel of Barcelona about it already because of that trio of signings.

Not only did these players switch between the clubs, they have all proven themselves vital in their own ways since arriving at Goodison Park - and have becoming important players for new manager Ancelotti too.

They all fit the right age, personality and quality that Brands was searching for to improve the squad - and were not being utilised to their full potential with the La Liga giants, who got decent amounts of money for each player.

Who's to say whether that could be the case in the future?

Todibo certainly fits the right age, he's a youngster desperate to develop - and Everton have given chances to many players of that ilk in the past.

It's yet to be seen whether the Frenchman is on the club's shortlist, and we don't even know how the transfer window will look this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But, it certainly wouldn't be a surprise to see more dealings between Everton and Barcelona in the future - given their pair's recent history.